City of the Shroud – Alpha Demo

City of the Shroud is a fantasy tactical RPG that combines real-time gameplay with a unique combat combo system to deliver a unique, fast-paced battle experience.

City of the Shroud has a lovely illustrative style, with thick black outlines on the models and some very pretty pseudo-cel-shading. With the help of Moira Katson, an independent fantasy author, City of the Shroud’s developers have created a world rich with magic, mystery, and political intrigue. The game’s central story will follow the leaders of various factions in the city of Iskendrun and their struggles for power. While there are only three character classes in the demo (Mage, Brute, and Gunner), the final version of the game will have six classes, each with their own unique basic attacks and combos.

In so far as gameplay is concerned, City of the Shroud may be a little frustrating for those looking for a game focusing on slow strategy, as its “real-time” component will force you to constantly work to keep ahead of your opponents. In that way, the game plays almost more like a real-time strategy game, where actions-per-minute and army management can make the difference between a win and a loss. City of the Shroud’s other claim to fame is its combat wheel. In order to perform basic attacks or chain attacks into combos, you’ll need to memorize the movements on the wheel and execute them rapidly. While the combat wheel feels like it was designed originally for touch-devices, it isn’t so awkward as to be unusable with a more traditional mouse set-up.

City of the Shroud is currently in the homestretch of its Kickstarter campaign. Backers will have a say in the progression of the episodic story content, with the developers adding new chapters to the game using a similar technique as Telltale Games employed in Tales from the Borderlands. If you’re looking for a high fantasy epic with an immersive story, you have until March 3, 2016 to pledge and help bring City of the Shroud to life.